Alfred Edward Thomas Worley papers, 1866-1891

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Summary

Creators:
Worley, Alfred Edward Thomas, 1838-1892
Abstract:
Legal correspondence, court petitions, summaries, and summons; together with bound shorthand court notes, political pamphlets, and newspaper clippings relating to meetings of Sacramento Board of Freeholders, of which Worley was elected secretary in 1881, and his campaign for San Francisco Police Court judge, which position he held 1891-1892. Includes one scrapbook of clippings about California water rates, a daily journal for 1889 with entries for half of January, and an envelope of business cards and ephemera.
Extent:
4 boxes (2.0 Linear feet)
Language:
Collection materials are in English.

Background

Scope and content:

The Alfred Edward Thomas Worley papers consist of legal correspondence, court petitions, summaries, and summons; together with bound shorthand court notes, political pamphlets, and newspaper clippings relating to meetings of Sacramento Board of Freeholders, of which Worley was elected secretary in 1881, and his campaign for San Francisco Police Court judge, which position he held 1891-1892. Includes one scrapbook of clippings about California water rates, a daily journal for 1889 with entries for half of January, and an envelope of business cards and ephemera.

Boxes 1-2 are arranged chronologically and by subject heading. Folders 1-12 contain several court cases in which Worley participated as a lawyer, court petitions, summaries, eviction notices and client correspondence. One well-documented case is the Goddard-Rankin Probate case (1888). Papers include the court petition, notices proving the will, case briefs and legal correspondence. Folder 17 contains copies of newspaper articles. Of particular interest are two biographical articles dated August 18, 1870 and 1891.

Boxes 3-4 contain pamphlets, bound court notes, meeting minutes, poll lists of the Board of Freeholders and original newspaper clippings. Folder 18 consists of pamphlets relating to California State Legislature 22nd Session, December, 1877 to March, 1878. Other political pamphlets in this folder include petitions on the subject of education, Governor William Irvin's message on transportation and a copy of the California Constitution. In folder 20 are the minutes of the Mission Street residents meeting on the widening of Mission Street. Included in folder 21 are several bound Superior Court petitions and defendants' briefs.

Biographical / historical:

Alfred E.T. Worley was born in Portsmouth, England in 1838. Throughout the 1860's, Worley was employed as a journalist for several major newspapers in London. In April, 1865, Worley was elected clerk to the Lambeth Burial Board. He resigned his duties as Board clerk in August, 1870, to pursue his journalistic career in California.

Worley's first job placement was as a journalist for the Oakland News and the Vallejo Chronicle. In 1871, Worley began working for the San Francisco Bulletin reporting the business of the California and Nevada State Legislatures. Worley's career as a journalist peaked in 1878, when he began writing editorials for the San Francisco Evening Bulletin. In 1880, Worley entered into a publishing partnership with A.D. Milne in Stockton. By January 12, 1881, Worley was elected secretary of the Sacramento Board of Freeholders which was created to frame a municipal charter for Sacramento.

In 1885, Worley went into private legal practice, as well as serving as Assistant City and County Attorney in San Francisco. As a lawyer, Worley handled cases involving personal and public disputes. For instance, in 1887, Worley was a legal advisor to the sub-committee to the Board of Supervisors with regard to the widening of Mission Street in San Francisco. This enabled Worley to work with John Daly, J.J. O'Farrell and Adolph Sutro. In 1888, Worley was attorney for the Executor in the probate case of Rankin vs. Goddard. This case was eventually heard before the California Superior Court. Several other cases that Worley handled included pardons, real estate agreements, traffic violations and landlord/tenant disputes.

In 1889, Worley compiled and published The Consolidation Act and Other Acts Relating to the Government of the City and County of San Francisco. This compilation includes all amendments to the Legislative Acts up to 1886.

On January 6, 1891, Worley, a republican, succeeded James Lawler as San Francisco Police Court Judge. In his first case, Worley dismissed charges against John Hayes for driving his horse too fast. Worley's term lasted until Jan. 1892, when he died, leaving behind a widow.

Physical location:
Collection is stored onsite.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
chscollection@stanford.edu
Website